About

Who is Unbox Interactive?

So far, Unbox Interactive is just me, Bridget Wessel. I’ve been building websites for over 13 years.

Why I love my job

I love to bring a well thought out, beautiful website design to life. Figuring out how to make a website work functionally and meet its marking goals are my passion. Your website isn’t just a paycheck for me. It’s an opportunity to build something great that stands out and helps grow your business. When your business grows, mine grows too.

History

In 2001, I started my website programming career as the only female in a seven-person web development firm. (I applied to be a designer, but luckily, they saw me in a programming role.) After a few years I left to join a fellow co-worker who started his own company and later joined him as a partner. Soon web content management systems started to mature and we began focusing on Drupal development because our clients, mainly universities and museums, were pushing for websites built in that tool.

In 2011, I found WordPress – and things changed. Using WordPress I could build websites faster and concentrate on unique custom solutions without reinventing content editability every time. I could add in better multi-browser support and responsive/mobile formatting without adding an extra week of development costs. I could be more efficient, saving my clients money or opening up opportunities for more complex functionality. With WordPress my clients can easily update their own content and add new pages without any programming knowledge. In late 2011, I started Unbox Interactive so I could concentrate on WordPress and do the work I really wanted to do. So far, I’ve built over 50 WordPress websites. I work directly with clients or contract with agencies in the Milwaukee and Chicago area.

Design Matters

Despite being a “geeky programmer”, I believe design and content matters – a lot. You have fractions of a second to grab a very distractible visitor’s attention and stop him or her from hitting the back button to their Google search results. If your visitor is confused or your design doesn’t look credible, they will leave and not be back. I take design very seriously. I understand whitespace is just as important as everything else on the page. Most designers I work with tell me they’ve never had a programmer translate their design to web so accurately.

My Partners

Building a website involves a multitalented team. I believe we all do better work when we concentrate on our unique talents. Every website I build involves at least a designer and a programmer (me). Ideally, a website team also includes a copywriter, although most of my clients write their own copy.

Four-legged Partners

I currently work out of my home (because I can) and my day to day partners are my four rescue dogs. They make sure I get out of my office chair regularly, and they boost my spirit daily.

Follow Me

If you’ve gotten this far, please sign up for my email list so you can take advantage of the resources and trainings I create. You may not need a web developer now, but you might in the future, and my email list is a great way to keep in touch and learn more about me. I can also be found on Twitter.

Email Signup

Bi-monthly emails covering topics such as Google Analytics, email marketing, and how to get the most out of your WordPress website.